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| We had multiple attempts for this 2018 family reunion picture . . . and this was the keeper :) |
Let’s begin by singing the following (to the tune of
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer)
Here’s the Royal Family Christmas letter,
Super duper hot right off the press.
There have been a lot of things that happened,
In the year of which we’d like to stress.
Maralea serves at the temple,
She’s been there for quite a while.
Her spirit is so crazy bright and shiny,
We have to wear sunglasses when she smiles.
Michael got one whole year older,
That’s about all we can say.
He still loves his most beloved Cougars,
Although sometimes he hates the way they play.
It’s the Royal Family Christmas letter.
Yes, there’s more news we want to relay.
We’ve increased our family population,
With more to arrive by next year May.
Brad and Whit got a new baby,
It’s a boy, his name is Kai.
If you ask Beckham and Zoe,
They’ll say he’s the family’s favorite guy.
Craig and Kelli are expecting,
Their first little baby girl.
We hope that’s not still a secret,
Because we just announced it to the world.
It’s the Royal Family Christmas letter.
There are two more verses yet to come.
Keep singing along as you continue,
It makes all the reading much more fun.
Dave and Kam will also welcome,
A new child to their clan.
Aubrey and Macie are excited,
To help care for an itty bitty man.
Finally, Jordan and Ashlee,
Expect a little girl soon.
She could be a New Year’s baby!
When she arrives we’ll sing a happy tune.
Enjoy the Royal Family Christmas letter.
There’s probably more here than you’d like to know.
Feel free to skip beyond all of the writing,
And flip to our most awesome picture show.
Merry Christmas
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| A Royal Sunday in June at the Pine Valley Chapel |
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| Kai is the newest Royal guy |
Whew. It feels like there’s not much more to add after that little ditty. We now have seven grandchildren with the arrival of Kai in July. He’s so cute (and growing fast). We are expecting two more granddaughters and another grandson by mid-May of this coming year, so it will be a banner 12 months for our family. (We will be five grandsons and five granddaughters, for those keeping score (ha) - enough to tip off a Royal basketball game.) We love being Nana and Papa. We can hardly believe where all the time has gone, but are grateful to see our family doing wonderful things.
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| Cody and Brea's Wedding in AZ. These six are a Royal hoot. |
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| Macie and Aubrey try to get their cousins to sing with Papa |
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| Happily waiting in line for Peter Pan |
The year began with a family trip to Disneyland in January. We loved The Magic Kingdom as kids, not so much as young parents (ugh, such a hassle), and love it again as Nana and Papa. (Somehow, it is so much more fun standing in line or waiting on benches with grandchildren, or just hanging out and watching the parents do all the work. Ah, the Disney Circle of Life.) We had a family reunion in Pine Valley, UT at the Royal Chateau in June, which included swimming, lots of games, and chasing around a small drone Papa was flying all over inside the cabin. (Papa also discovered that if you don’t buckle your seatbelt on the Polaris at the cabin that it won’t go over 10 MPH . . . but figured it out only after driving it for . . . a long time at 10 MPH, complaining all the while that it needed service.)
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| Whitney's BYU MBA grad day |
We attended BYU graduation in April for Whitney (MBA) and Jordan (Bachelors). That may be our last college graduation for a while - although more graduate degrees could always be on the horizon. Speaking of BYU, the Cougars had another disappointing football season - but we still faithfully attended all the home games. We were in Madison, WI for BYU’s win over No. 6 Wisconsin in September, which was pretty
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| Jordan's BYU Undergrad Day |
awesome. We were a bit more challenged to get all of our grandchildren to a BYU home game this season, due to the fact that several had start times after 8:00 pm. (We actually decided to drive home to Las Vegas after the BYU/Cal game, where we left Provo at about 11:30 pm, arriving in Las Vegas at 4:00 am. We were grateful to have made it home alive. That will probably never happen again.) We love traveling and cheering together as Cougar faithful.
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There wasn't a lot to cheer about during the 2018 BYU football season, so we are extra glad we made it to Madison for the win over Wisconsin.
(Notice we are the only ones in sight wearing blue.) |
We love spending time with our family and “have no greater joy than to [know] that [our] children [and grandchildren] walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4.) We are very blessed.
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| Swimming with the Royal gang in Lehi |
Brad, Whitney, Beckham, Zoe and Kai
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| Kai's blessing day |
Brad and Whitney welcomed Kai into their family in July. Brad began working for a new employer, Qualtrics, in February and loves it. He underwent a couple surgeries on his elbow . . . and didn’t love that so much. Brad serves in his ward Elders Quorum Presidency. In addition to bringing Kai into the world in 2018, Whitney received her MBA from the BYU Graduate School of Management. She launched a new small business project called Quiet Riot and does some part-time teaching at BYU. Beckham is in first grade and Zoe is in kindergarten. They love learning, playing, and helping take care of their new little brother Kai.
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| This is such a cute picture of Kai (thanks Tia) |
Their family went to Hawaii for a little vacation three weeks after Kai was born. Not long thereafter, Brad had a sweet little guys vacation (with friends) in Costa Rica for a week while Whitney stayed home and cared for their three little ones. (Per Brad, Whitney strongly encouraged him to enjoy a tropical adventure.)
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| Zoe loves cuddling Kai |
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| Beckham colors at the Gilbert Temple |
Zoe was initially very upset when she received news that her mommy and daddy were expecting a boy (Kai). She cried and said: “I wanna girl! I wanna girl!” Older brother Beckham provided comfort with the following words to his little sister: “Maybe Mommy will have a girl next year.” (Ha. We’ll see.) Beckham and Zoe have decided they want to be professional rock climbers, so they're now taking classes to pursue that objective. Beckham loves Legos. In fact, Beckham decided that when he grows old and passes on, he wants his children to construct his tombstone out of Legos.
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| Bear Lake family vacation |
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| Royalty |
Craig, Kelli, Royal and Finley
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| A late September Utah family hike |
Kelli and Craig are excited to welcome a little girl into the world in 2019. Craig is enjoying his work with Solomon Dwiggins & Freer, Ltd. (Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love lawyer stuff?) The family got all settled into their new Summerlin home this past year and finally installed their backyard, so the boys now have some grass to stomp on. (Craig “the home improvement project man” feasted from his “honey do” plate in 2018.) Kelli loves her hair gig. She delved into being a Zyia rep in 2018 but that was short-lived. Kelli thereafter became pregnant and is due in May 2019. Royal got to go to Disneyland for his birthday gift in 2018. He loves that wonderful world. Royal played baseball and soccer this year. He is on teams with a bunch of boys from his ward which has made it especially fun. Royal is enjoying life in the first grade, loves to read, to make friends, learn, and being a big brother. Finley is like the Energizer Bunny - always on the go, go, go. He started talking this year and hasn’t stopped. Finley is a Dennis the Menace kind of kid. He’s always into something. Finley loves Daniel Tiger, Mickey Mouse, trucks, tractors, and trains. And, he badly craves applesauce! His low voice chuckle always gets everyone laughing right along with him.
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| Finley is TWO legit to quit |
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| Royal begins his BYU grad journey |
We watched Finley and Royal the night before their family prepared to speak in their new ward on Sunday last January. A wide-eyed Royal said to Maralea: “Mommy’s talk is eight pages long. Mine was only one.” Then, after a brief pause, Royal said with a smile: “I think mine is better.”
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| These guys will soon have a sister |
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| Halloween Family Night |
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| Easter egg hunt heaven |
David, Kambria, Aubrey and Macie
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| The beach babes will soon have a beach boy |
David and Kambria received some wonderful news in 2018. They will be welcoming a little boy into their growing family this coming year. They are so excited! (Aubrey had her heart set on another little sister, but she has since warmed up to having a brother.) David loves his job at Visible Equity and the family remains in Murray, UT (although they wouldn’t mind moving into a bigger home with a yard in 2019). He loves easy home projects like fixing up and painting stools. Kambria loves cooking, taxiing the girls, being a wife and mother, and is thrilled to have a little boy coming next year.
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| Macie lights the world |
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| Aubrey takes kindergarten by storm |
Aubrey is in kindergarten, is a great reader and a wonderful artist. In her third season of soccer, Aubrey transformed her game from a girl too shy to even take the field (in 2017) to a get into the game and score at all costs competitor. She believed it was not only her duty to score a goal for her team, but a solemn right that should not be infringed upon by opposing players (whom she would lecture on the vice of stealing whenever the ball was taken from her sole control). Macie loves, loves, loves all things princess (and actually thinks she is one . . . Her Royal Highness). She also enjoys teasing her big sister. The girls keep Kambria and David very busy. But, it is always a joy when we visit and watch the family bedtime routine. David wrote a poem about it in 2017 that Kambria put together in a book with pictures. It makes for a beautiful bedtime story. We had Aubrey and Macie with us for a week in June while David and Kambria attended a convention back east. It is always a fun adventure having grandchildren stay with us an extended periods of time.
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| David represents well on this September hike in Utah |
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| It's always the right time for Nana/Papa Facetime |
Jordan and Ashlee
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| It's Cold Outside, but Baby is cozy |
Jordan graduated from BYU in April. He and Ashlee are now both BYU grads (and we can’t have enough of those in the family (ha)). They are expecting their first child, a little girl (Reese), in January 2019. Jordan is employed at Boostability and Ashlee works for cruisebuilder.com. Jordan went bow hunting with the Greenwood family over Labor Day Weekend (a first for Jordan) and looks forward to becoming an ace hunter. One of Jordan’s great accomplishments in 2018 was winning the BYU 50 contest by successfully finding the box placed in Lehi and then beating out the competition by skillfully tossing ax at a target (with Ashlee cheering loudly all the way). (The Greenwood family hunting prowess has definitely rubbed off on Jordan and helped him succeed.)
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| Halloween happiness in 2018 was a slam dunk |
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| This was a gender reveal teaser pic in the fall. What we DID know was these two will soon be Mom and Dad. What we NOW know, it's a girl! |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
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| Sneak photo peak on the first day of the week |
We reflect on the words of the late President Thomas S. Monson, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who stated the following in December 2011: “There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ.” He then added: “Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ.” That is so perfectly stated.
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| Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving |
December is a wonderful opportunity to take a break, review the year, and count blessings one by one. When we do so, miracles are discovered everywhere as we see God’s hand in so many life events. Our Heavenly Father truly loves us all. He and Our Savior know each of us better than we will ever know ourselves in this life, and their desire is for us to travel on the path of love and happiness, to be Their hands in uplifting and blessing others every day of our lives. We are thankful for so much peace in a world filled with turmoil and commotion.
Here’s to a Royally Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
With love,
Michael and Maralea
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| A very Royal Cougar Blue Christmas to all |
A Few Quotes
From the Pine Valley Cabin
Anti-Freeze Frosty
Papa: “Aubrey, why are you hitting the snowman in the head?”
Aubrey: “Because I don’t like him!”
Papa: “Okay, then I don’t like him, either”
Papa then kicked Frosty’s head clean off, Chuck Norris style, all to Aubrey’s enthusiastic laugh.
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| Pine Valley cabin fever |
Taming Zelda
Royal was introduced to the video game Zelda by his Uncle David, who set Royal up to play against the computer. David set the computer up on a low level of difficulty to allow Royal to win; however, it apparently wasn’t low enough. Within a few minutes, Royal came downstairs in frustration (near tears).
Royal: “David, I need help”
David: “What’s wrong, Royal?”
Royal: “I need you to fix the computer.”
David: “What needs to be fixed?”
Royal: “I don’t want it to fight back!”
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| Cabin crew |
Papa Snowball Matches
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David sleds with Macie while
Papa makes the others cry (ha) |
After making Royal and Aubrey cry multiple times in the snow one day, Papa resisted their requests to go out again the following afternoon. But, they persisted:
Aubrey: "I won't get mad or cry, Papa. I promise."
Aubrey kept her promise. But, after Papa made Royal cry outside, and then suggested the game was over - through his tears Royal set Papa straight: "No, Papa! We're not quitting. We’re gonna stay and have fun throwing snowballs!"
Adventures of Mike and Maralea
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Maralea celebrates her birthday
at Flaming Fajitas |
When Mike finished putting up the Christmas lights over Thanksgiving Weekend, the garage door stopped working and would not close. He got online and tried to figure it out. Mike fiddled with the sensors and tried other troubleshooting measures. Nothing worked. He disengaged the automatic garage door opener and manually closed the door for the evening. The next morning, Mike got busy working on it again. Maralea was in the garage and the following conversation followed:
Maralea: “Why don’t you just unplug it and then plug it in again?”
Mike: “What? That won’t work.”
Maralea: “I try that with things and it works sometimes.”
Unplugging the door was not an option in the troubleshooting guide and the plug is in the ceiling, which required moving the car. But, Mike figured he may as well try it before calling a repairman. Mike unplugged the garage door opener, plugged it back in and . . . success. It was fixed. Maralea is pretty awesome (and loves being right!).
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| Happiest Place in Anaheim |
Disneyland Prep
As we approached Disneyland and Papa tried to psych himself up for a day of long lines and chronic whines, Kelli pulled him aside and said: “Don’t be a grumpy grandpa.” Crisis averted (and Papa actually had way more fun than anticipated).
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Aubrey loves being goofy but takes'
preservation of her yogurt seriously |
Yogurt Watch
While at a restaurant, after receiving her cup of yogurt, with Papa threatening to take a bite, Aubrey stressed when she had to leave the table to use the restroom. Before leaving, Aubrey carefully slid her yogurt to Maralea and politely asked: “Nana, will you please protect this for me?”
Play Ball!
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Royal may have meant THIS kind
of basketball |
Papa and Royal were at the church one day and Royal asked if they could play “real basketball.” As Papa dribbled the ball towards him over the half court line, Royal enthusiastically got into a defensive stance, then bent over and slapped the floor with both hands and said: “Bring in on, Papa!” So, Papa zigged and zagged, then hit a shot, causing Royal protest: “No, Papa. I didn’t mean THAT kind of real basketball.”
Gone Swimming
We were at a hotel in Provo with a swimming pool and hot tub on a cold November day. Beckham and Zoe had just arrived with their dad at Nana and Papa’s room wearing swimsuits, with goggles on their foreheads while holding flippers in their hands. Papa was watching the end of an exciting Ohio State/Maryland football game and the kids, who had been looking forward to getting in the water for hours, had to wait a few more minutes. While patiently sitting on the bed, Beckham found a notepad in the room and wrote the following, which Zoe signed, too. Nana and Papa found it two days later as they were leaving.
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| We started in the Jacuzzi, but spent most of the time in the colder pool |
Valentine's dinner at Brio
We went to have dinner at Brio on a rather cold February day in Las Vegas . . . without reservations.
Mike (to the hostess while surveying the waiting crowd): "Can we get a table for two?"
Hostess (rejection set up inquiry): "Do you have a reservation?"
Mike (sensing defeat, already giving up): "Nope."
Hostess (with a smile): "Well, then, the wait is four hours."
Mike (with deep sarcasm, heading towards the door): "Oh, well that's not bad at all."
Maralea (not giving up): "Do you have any tables outside?"
Hostess (breaking under Maralea's quick cross-examination): "Yes."
Maralea (critical inquiry): "Do you have heaters out there?"
Hostess: "Yes."
Maralea (sealing the deal): "When can we get one of those?"
Hostess: "Oh, we can seat you there right away."
Valentine’s Day dinner crisis averted by Maralea's quick thinking and Practically Perfect Mary Poppins like personality. (And the heaters were pretty awesome.)
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| It's always a holly jolly holiday with Maralea |
A Few More Family Pics From 2018
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| The Greatest Show People |
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| David was really THAT close! |
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| Found this while cleaning out the garage |
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Even drinking fountain water is better at
Disneyland |
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David teaches Aubrey the finer points
of how to enjoy snow time |
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| California sunset moment |
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Waiting at Disneyland for anything is easy
when hanging out with this crew |
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| Ready for a California Adventure |
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A familiar spot for Macie at Disneyland
was on the ground in protest |
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| Doing something apparently cool at California Adventure |
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| Royal makes sure Aubrey doesn't get lost at Disneyland |
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| Aubrey is ready to help Papa sweep up in the backyard |
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| Finley already knows good music |
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| Royal is looking for a hoop challenge |
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| Pulled this off the Church website after Pres. Russell M. Nelson spoke in LV |
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Great Grandpa Royal with two
of his awesome great-grandsons |
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| Not sure what this is about . . . |
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| REPRESENT!!! |
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| Royal knows baseball to a "T" |
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| Jordan and Ashlee take in a Jazz game |
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| Dad at his 84th birthday party |
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| Dad found his old USAF hat and wore it to his birthday party |
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| Finley gets an Easter egg in one |
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| Pre-BYU spring game pizza party |
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Aubrey and Royal enjoy a Cougartail at
the BYU spring game with Aunt Ashlee |
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Beckham and Zoe braved the weather
at the BYU spring game |
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Sure it was wet and cold in early April for the BYU spring game . . .
but it was the BYU spring game! |
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| Macies loves Papa smoothies |
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| Zoe and Aubrey hold a table for us at Zupas |
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| At Cody and Brea's wedding reception |
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| Kissed and told |
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| The three little grandkids |
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Maralea has her hands full
outside the Gilbert Temple |
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| It's so hard to capture the perfect picture . . . but this one feels pretty close |
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Royal and Finley enjoy the
warm spring Arizona weather |
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Macie is ready to go
through airport security |
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| Royal and Beckham take on the table |
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| Papa, can I have another fudgesicle, please? |
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| Aubrey gets into the swing of spring |
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| Ashlee congrats Jordan on a job well done |
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Beckham demonstrates the
Hulk's super punch |
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| Zoe at her Mom's BYU MBA graduation |
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| Zoe's birthday party |
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Saying goodbye after church with
David and Kambria in Murray, UT |
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| Finley - a bridge not too far |
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| Royal plays dodgeball with the big people |
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| Royal and Finley in some early summer fun |
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Jordan and Ashlee had an
announcement to make |
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| Finley hosts a fun swim party |
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| Macie is in a good swimming mood |
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| Hey, Nana got invited to Finley's swim party, too! |
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| Who's ready for a snack? |
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Aubrey was just a tad too short to play on the big slide at the swim park,
but we think things will be different this coming summer! |
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| Macie gets Finley's golf cart off the green and to the next tee |
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| Royal and Aubrey chill |
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| Aubrey visits Royal's primary class and gets introduced |
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| A Friedel Family Moment |
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Hang out with this gal as a pal
is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious |
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Pine Valley hike, handcart style
(Oh some must push and some must pull ... ) |
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| Beckham and Royal at Veyo pool |
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| Nana on the side of the Veyo pool with chillin' grandkids |
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Papa with Zoe and Macie
(as Macie enjoys a little snack) |
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| Kelli and Kam with a Veyo poolside smile |
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| Royal siblings poolside at Veyo |
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| It's raining balloons! |
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| Family Reunion activities |
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| Macie on a porch swing at the Royal Chateau |
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| Macie practices her Uber skills with Finley |
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| The grandkids take a balloon break |
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| Happy Fourth of July! |
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| North Eugene HS 40th reunion in Eugene, OR (July 2018) |
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| We visited the Oregon Coast long enough to say Hey |
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With Maralea at the NEHS sign
(love her Easy Rider specs) |
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The gym in the Santa Clara chapel hasn't changed -
other than the three-point line.
Maralea wanted to play, but it was Sunday . . . |
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| Finley was NOT ready to go to sleep in this Kodak hotel bed moment |
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| Royals ALWAYS represent! |
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| Royal ran into an old flame, Kennedy, at the Cougareat and . . . had to explain |
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| Papa meets Kai for the first time |
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This grandkid ice cream moment was sweet
until Finley got some on Royal's brand new BYU shirt . . . |
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| . . . at which point it became a total disaster |
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| Beckham and Royal swimming in Lehi |
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| Aunt Kelli guides Macie around the Lazy River |
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| Aubrey and Zoe chill during a swimming break |
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| Royal and Beckham snack during a pool break, too |
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| Lean to the left! |
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Finley shows Great Grandpa Royal
where he feasted on doggy food |
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| Fin swims with a fin |
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Royal wonders what it would be like
to lose his hair like Papa |
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| Memorial Day Weekend party at Dad's house |
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| Crazy family picture at Dad's house . . . |
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| Beckham sets a paper airplane sailing into the atmosphere |
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| Nana makes a chalk outline of Aubrey |
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| Aubrey's soccer game was a success |
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| At the BYU Bookstore before the game |
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| We like the BYU Royal Army theme |
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With Jordan and Ashlee for the first
BYU home game of the season |
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| Kyle and Taylor joined us at the BYU/California game |
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| We found Cosmo in Wisconsin |
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Beckham and Brad joined us along with
Jordan and Ashlee for the BYU/McNeese State game |
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| Don't blow bubbles, Papa |
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| Prepping to ride the cows at Cornbellies |
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| Aubrey and Royal race down the slide |
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| David gets a jump start |
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| Zoe loved the princess palace at Cornbellies |
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| Beckham climbs the wooden train at Cornbellies |
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| September Solitude Hike |
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| Royal and Aubrey found the perfect Christmas tree |
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| Aubrey hound during Hide 'N' Seek |
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| Time to leave |
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| We wanna go with Nana! |
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| Kai's blessing day |
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| Kai meeting his new family of Royals and Horitos |
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Beckham kept the Tooth Fairy
busy in 2018 |
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| Zoe reads a story to Kai |
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David made General Conference cinnamon rolls
in October and we celebrated! |
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| Las Vegas ice cream night |
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| Hop on Pop |
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BYU/Hawaii game with Alfredo and Regina Crussssssssss
(and their two super cutie granddaughters) |
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| The Royal Court - December fun in Lehi for an Ashlee baby shower |
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Here's to a great 2019 (and a better season
for the BYU ROYAL blue)
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loved this!!! as always...merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!
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